20
Transfer of requests
(I) If a request for access is made to the information officer of a public body in respect of which(a)
the record is not in the possession or under the control of that body but is in the possession of
another public body;
(b)
the record's subject matter is more closely connected with the functions of another public body than
those of the public body of the information officer to whom the request is made; or
(c)
the record contains commercial information contemplated in section 42 in which any other public
body has a greater commercial interest, the information officer to whom the request is made must as
soon as reasonably possible, but in any event within 14 days after the request is received(i)
transfer the request to the information officer of the other public body or, if there is in the
case of paragraph (c) more than one other public body having a commercial interest, the
other public body with the greatest commercial interest; and
(ii)
if the public body of the information officer to whom the request is made is in possession
of the record and considers it helpful to do so to enable the information officer of the
other public body to deal with the request, send the record or a copy of the record to that
information officer .
(2) If a request for access is made to the information officer of a public body in respect of which(a)
the record is not in the possession or under the control of the public body of that information officer
and the information officer does not know which public body has possession or control of the
record;
(b)
the record's subject matter is not closely connected to the functions of the public body of that
information officer and the information officer does not know whether the record is more closely
connected with the functions of another public body than those of the public body of the information
officer to whom the request is made; and
(c)
the record(i)
was created by or for another public body; or
(ii)
was not so created by or for any public body, but was received first by
another public body,
the information officer to whom the request is made, must as soon as reasonably possible, but in any
event within 14 days after the request is received, transfer the request to the information officer of
the public body by or for which the record was created or which received it first, as the case may be.
(3) Subject to subsection (4), the information officer to whom a request for access is transferred, must give
priority to that request in relation to other requests as if it were-received by him or her on the date it was
received by the information officer who transferred the request.
(4) If a request for access is transferred, any period referred to in section 25 ( 1) must be computed from the
date the request is received by the information officer to whom the request is transferred.
(5) Upon the transfer of a request for access, the information officer making the transfer must immediately
notify the requester of-